A SHELTON CHRONICLE
NORMAN
V. KELLY
There are a lot gangster fans in East Peoria and
Peoria so I often bring up our pet gangster during my speaking engagements and
writings. Bernie Shelton was here in
Peoria from 1941 until his murder on July 28, 1948. His gangster reputation may
have been warranted in Southern Illinois, but believe me, he was no gangster
here in Peoria, Illinois. When I think of gangsters I think of Al Capone and
men of his ilk, Shelton was just a pug, a thug, an uneducated ex-convict. I
laugh out loud when I read that he ‘took over gambling’ in Peoria. What a joke.
When Bernie came here Peoria had 242 taverns, most of them, including our nine
casinos had one form of gambling or the other. Peoria did not require some
outsider telling our folks how to gamble, that’s for sure. The major gambling
places were owned by wealthy, and in some cases, powerful men. Had they wanted
to get rid of Shelton they would have done just exactly that…‘One way or the other.’
The Sheltons were gamblers, hustlers and intimidators
who liked the reputation of being ‘gangsters,’ especially Bernie. As an ex-con
he could never own a liquor license here, so he had a small financial
investment in a dive called the Red Onion, and another dump near city hall,
called the Palace Club. Carl Shelton and
Bernie had a legit business in the Shelton Amusement Company that leased
jukeboxes and gambling paraphernalia. Of course they were involved in gambling,
as were hundreds of other people during WW 11. I tried every way possible to
track their ‘gangster activities’ in Peoria, but to no avail. We had a lot of really bad guys in our town
over the years, and the Sheltons were actually pretty tame in comparison. Also,
I want to point out that in September of 1946 gambling ceased in Peoria,
Illinois. Of course the slot machines still thrived, but Peorians never called
the ‘slots’ real gambling. Bernie and
Carl promptly moved out of the city to the Parkway Tavern on Farmington Road,
across from Hunts.
On the warm evening of May 30, 1948, Ray Walker, a
friend of Bernie’s, got into a fight with a man named James Murphy Jr. Murphy won that fight and Walker drove down
the street to summon John Kelly and Bernie Shelton. They stopped Murphy as he was driving out of
the parking lot. A fight ensued, Murphy
was pistol whipped, and shots were fired into the air. Mr. A. L. Hunt witnessed
all this. When he and G. Sitton walked over to see
what was going on, Kelly stuck a gun to Hunt’s ear and
marched him back across the street.
“Mind your own business.”
County Deputies Aaron and Francis arrived and battled
with Kelly and Shelton inside the tavern.
Shelton was injured in the fracas and both landed in jail over
night. Later, the two ex-cons were
charged with seven felonies and it looked like their gambling days were
over.
On July 28, 1948, Bernie left the side door at the
Parkway Tavern to take his black Buick for an oil change. Cotton Ronitis was with him. “Wait, Bernie, I
left my cigarettes inside.” Cotton heard
what sounded like a shot and found Shelton on all fours in the driveway. The shot came from an unseen gunman in a
wooded pathway that led to Saint Joseph’s cemetery. Believe it or not Mr. Hunt
was a witness to that scene as well. Ace
ambulance took Bernie to Saint Francis and on the way Shelton yelled at the
driver. “Watch that green car, watch out for it.” Bernie Shelton died forty-minutes later in
the emergency room.
I think it was July 31, 1948. I was sixteen at the
time, when I stood way off to the side as they buried Shelton at the Parkview
Cemetery. I was impressed with the well-dressed people and all the fancy
cars. Once everyone left it took little
time for souvenir hunters to take every last flower off the grave.
I have written a lot about gambling, crime and
bawdiness in Peoria, and I can tell you, Bernie Shelton is always in the middle
of those talks and stories. Truth is he
was barely a bit player in the over all scheme of things here in town. Here are some financial facts from his
probated will. I was told many times
that he probably had a ‘couple of million stashed somewhere.’ I always found
that to be funny, gangster fans hate facts.
Shelton’s Assets:
A total of $56,199.00, and that included $33,022.18 in real estate
value. He had $14,892.22 in cash with claims of 16,444.32 against his estate.
I have lectured over thirty years about Peoria and its
‘State of mind.’ Mayor Woodruff understood Peorians, and he was elected eleven
times. He molded this town into what it
became. Personally I think it was one of
the greatest little river towns in
America’s history, and Bernie Shelton was just a tiny part of it.
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